A Southwest New Mexico Flash Flood
THE GREAT BEAR CREEK FLASH FLOOD OF SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 Documenting a Major Flash Flood on Bear Creek at Casitas de Gila Guesthousescaused by Remnants of Hurricane Odile in Southwest New Mexico THE SETUP: HURRICANE ODILE MAKES LANDFALLON MEXICO’S BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA On Sunday night, September 14, 2014, Hurricane Odile came ashore on Mexico’s Baja […]
WINTER SOLSTICE IN SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO
THE MAGIC OF WINTER SOLSTICE LIGHT ON BEAR CREEK IN SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO CYCLES OF SOLSTICE ON BEAR CREEK Guests that return to Casitas de Gila Guesthouses at different times of the year will observe, while sitting in front of their Casita watching the Sunrise, that the Sun comes up at different places along […]
ANCIENT CROPS IN SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO
2000 YEARS OF HARVEST TIME ALONG BEAR CREEK HARVEST TIME AT THE CASITA GARDENS It’s late August and the rains of the 2013 Southwest Monsoon season have shown no sign of weakening. As of this morning, Casitas de Gila Guesthouses has had 8.54 inches of rain since the monsoons began on July 1. Despite the […]
THE SOUTHWEST MONSOONS BEGIN
THE 2013 MONSOONS BEGIN RIGHT ON SCHEDULE: RAIN, HAIL, AND FLASH FLOODS! The Dry Season, the typical climate at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses during April, May, and June, is over. On July 1st the Summer Monsoon rains arrived in Southwest New Mexico right on schedule, with a respectable 0.67 inches being measured here at […]
A BRIGHT GREEN NEW MEXICO OASIS
BEAR CREEK IN JUNE: A BRIGHT GREEN OASIS IN A HIGH-DESERT LANDSCAPE WAITING FOR THE RAINS TO COME MAY AND JUNE: DRYING TIME IN THE HIGH DESERT SOUTHWEST It is late into the “waiting for the rain time” again here at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses on Bear Creek in Gila, New Mexico. It has been […]
Fall Color in Southwest New Mexico
IN OCTOBER BEAR CREEK BECOMES A RIVER OF GOLD Late October and early November are a gorgeous time here at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses in Southwest New Mexico. With cool nights reaching down to near-frosty levels and daytime temperatures bouncing up into the high 70s or low 80s, the leaves on the cottonwoods, sycamores, willows, […]
Night Life at Casitas de Gila
Sitting quietly in front of Casitas de Gila Guesthouses late at night, one cannot help but wonder about what might be going on down along Bear Creek, a hundred feet below. What wildlife might be there in the darkness, and what might it be doing? On most nights, even a short time spent listening intently […]
With the Rains Come the Wildflowers …
For many parts of New Mexico and Arizona, this year’s Monsoon rains have remained spotty and below average (see the CLIMAS Southwest Monsoon Tracker) But not so here at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses! As of today, we have received over 9 inches of rain since early July (which marked the beginning of this year’s Monsoon […]
And the Rains Came … Spotty at first, then stronger
With the metal roof now secure on the new porch on our Casa and Office, the Gila Nature Blog can resume once more. Frequently Becky’s “little” home improvement projects can become rather all-consuming, and the Porch Project was no exception. But now that the result has passed muster by The Boss (and I’m quite pleased […]
Waiting for the Rains Time
It’s the “Waiting for the Rains Time” in the Southwest. After a mostly-dry and colder-than-usual La Niña Winter, and a cool and even drier Spring, the entire Southwest is exceptionally dry, and every living thing — humans, animals, birds, and plants — is waiting. Waiting for the annual North American Monsoon or Southwest Monsoon rains […]
